A survey of top recruiters, by the UKs leading executive jobs website Experteer.co.uk, recently revealed a word processed CV is still considered to be the most important element in a job application although its use by recruiters has evolved. More than half (57 percent) of 50 top recruiters surveyed believe the importance of a CV in applying for jobs has not changed from ten years ago but 86 percent see it as a starting point for additional research into candidate, as competition for available jobs increases.

Torsten Muth, Managing Director of the UK’s leading executive job website Experteer.co.uk comments, “The importance of a well written and presented CV is undisputed, but technological advancements mean that senior executives should optimise their CVs to suit the new search techniques of top headhunters.

This is especially true in the current job market, when companies and headhunters have such a vast choice. They have very limited time for candidates whose CV is not up to the highest standard, and the Internet is a key tool for them to weed out weaker candidates. Job seekers need to go the extra mile in preparing their CV and finding the best spots to showcase it on the Internet.”

Based on the research, Experteer has come up with the following five tips for senior executives to optimise their CVs for Internet job hunting.

1. More than half (57%) of recruiters never print CVs out and instead view them on a computer screen – make the most of this by including hyperlinks and a screen-friendly font, as well as by ensuring that there are no spelling mistakes which will be clearly flagged by automatic spell checkers;

2. Be careful of over claiming and check any inconsistencies between your CV and your online profile – almost one in nine (86%) of recruiters use search engines to delve into CVs, while 59% research candidates’ past media coverage on the Internet;

3. Ensure that the CV has a short and punchy opening introduction – the survey found that 43% of senior recruiters spend less than a minute reviewing each CV;

4. Senior executives should highlight their soft skills in the CV – recruiters listed membership of professional bodies, mobility and fluency in foreign languages as some of the most highly rated skills listed on a CV;

5. Don’t restrict yourself to a single recruitment consultant, make the most of the internet by posting your CV (anonymously if need be) online. Most headhunters trawl key recruitment websites for potential candidates.

Muth added: “Senior executives often do not take the time to stand back and look at their CV, or to ask for help with updating it. They can often be surprised by the difference that a professional, well-structured CV can make to their chances of getting the job that they are applying for over an equally-qualified candidate.”

You can't go wrong with a well set out, clear paper CV. That's clear and on paper by the way not some kind of magic paper . For years in the past mine wasn't up to scratch and after getting some help with the formatting and layout on a course I did ten years ago I noticed a marked improvement in jobs I was applying for back then. Interview invitations I mean. I think this is great solid advice.

I'm from Wellingtone a specialist Project Management Recruitment agency and would agree that a CV is most definitely vital in getting through the first stage.

The most vital part of the CV is perhaps the first page; use it to 'tick off' as many of the requirements outlined in a job spec; perhaps through the following headings career profile, key skills and or key achievments; and remember to mirror the terminology from the job spec to make it easy to digest for the reader.

The reason for this is that as the number of job applications increase the amount of time spent reading your CV from a 'pile' of CVs decreases!

So you have to demonstrate on the very first page that you have the skills / qualities required to do the job; then go in to further detail on the following pages; but ensure that the CV is between 2-4 pages; provide enough detail to get interest and not come across as being long-winded.

I think a good CV is so important, particularly the layout, because of the small amount of time employers spend looking at each one. So many people have made the mistake, myself included, of not tailoring their CV to each job. When this is the first impression a potential employer gets of you, it's vital that the information you are giving them is aimed at the job you're applying for.

I've never done this but if I need to apply for jobs in the future (which hopefully I wont have to) I'd definitely tailor my CV to an exact job now. I can't believe I never did this in the past actually. It just never really occurred to me.

I didn't think of it either until we had careers lecture in the 6th form and they mentioned it. The only problem is when you have lots of jobs that you want to apply for in succession, there's not always time to tailor it specifically.

That's true. I guess you can tailor it to a particular industry (if you were applying for lots of call centre jobs for example) but I agree when applying for loads of separate jobs just filling in the application forms is a real nightmare.

I think a good CV is so important, particularly the layout, because of the small amount of time employers spend looking at each one. So many people have made the mistake, myself included, of not tailoring their CV to each job. When this is the first impression a potential employer gets of you, it's vital that the information you are giving them is aimed at the job you're applying for.

In addition, never forget to highlight your achievements and present them in the best possible light. Keep to heart that our CV serve as the our effective sales tool that we have in selling our candidacy to prospective employers. It's worth the time and effort to tailoring them exactly to for the right job and have the interview, that will possibly land you the job of your dreams.